Ahketti Society and Culture
For cultural appearance, (clothing, adornments and such) check the Player race: Ahketti page: ☀http://dnd-pthaahket.wikia.com/wiki/Player_Race:_Ahketti Ahketti Society: Life in Ahketun Hunter gatherers turned farmers Ahketti society has grown from a tradition of hunting, this still shows in most layers of society. Even though they have come to depend on agriculture as the main source of food, even the lower caste teaches their children how to hunt. When Ahketti children come of age, they tend to prove their worth by tracking and killing an animal. In the lower caste this is done individually by the families themselves. But in the other castes, this is is an organised event, held once every three years. Hunting trophies, whether in the house or worn as jewellery or sewn into clothing, is a commonplace form of boasting status and prowess. A member of the lower caste boasting a leopard skin, or wearing the skin of the lion, demands respect, even of those in the ruling caste. River folk, folk of the Duat Ahketti generally live near the Duat, the great river that gives life to the otherwise barren landscape they inhabit. Around this river their farms have grown and flourish. There's many side streams and even some smaller rivers, that find their way to the Duat. This has created a bustling culture as much on its waters, as on the lands around it. Many ships find their way across the waters daily, trading goods between villages and settlements. Spirit animals and shamanic heritage. As remnants of a hunter gatherer society, the Ahketti tend to commonly believe in spirit animals, this mostly as guiding or guardian spirits, either to individuals or to places. Shamans and medicine men/women tend to call on these spirits, to ask for guidance or aid with things deemed better not to be asked of the gods. Or sometimes, when the gods do not seem to be willing to answer prayers, then the people tend to turn to the shamans as well. For more information, see the religion and deities page. Daily life and interaction If looking for a modern day reference on how the Ahketti interact with each other, think a mix of Italian and African daily life, generally, spontaneous, loving life, open and friendly, but also littered with hostile friction between old rivals or rival families. This behaviour crosses castes, but not always sentiment. More details on religious practices can be found on the religion and deities page. Celebration and festivities are not rare among the Ahketti. They often eat and dine with an entire neighbourhood out in the streets, whenever they feel like there's reason to do so and many rituals in devoted to Tothis are just extravagant festivities. The use of opiates and alcohol are fairly common during their festivities. Their known alcoholic beverages currently being only beers and wines. Death under the desert sun Death comes to Ahketti in a similar way as it would come to humans, a weapon, disease, poison or just plain old age. Due to heat, leaving a corpse out in the open is not exactly a good idea. Thus the Ahketti burn their dead, often on the day, or the day after someone is found dead. The ashes tend to be spread in the Duat, for the lower caste, yet in the caste of houses, there are those who prefer to keep the ashes in urns, like the caste of rulers does. The caste of rulers often goes as far as building pyramid shaped shrines, where they keep these urns. Gender, who cares? Gender among the Ahketti is not like in human cultures, gender identity is not considered to be the same as physical gender. Roles in the society are based on skill and prowess within that role, rather then because of what might be between their legs. Childhood and parenting The choice of sexual or romantic partners is not considered to be anyone's business but one's own. However, for the sake of family lines or alliances, selected breeding can be arranged sometimes. Both parents are required to care for the child till it comes of age. This often results in different situations, especially different per caste, but the arrangement is agreed upon by the parents before birth of the child. An agreement documented by the house of Fayathi, not living up to the contract, is considered a crime against the Ahketti people as a whole. Except, of course, in the house of rulers. As long as the right new arrangement is struck with the keepers of the document, or so the public secret/rumour goes. He or she? The word Ahketti refers as much to a male as a female members of their race, the terms him/he or her/she, are used to indicate one's physical appearance, whether they have a beard, or breasts, other dangly bits. It's not used to refer how someone behaves, for there is no such thing as behaving manly or womanly in Ahketti culture.Of course there is often referred to certain parts of the body, in both praise and in insult. Female warriors tend to laugh at male bodied warriors for having "too much balls", if they lose a fight or get incapacitated. (due to the overly sensitive nature of this body part) In more lower caste slang, a "tough cunt" is an often used compliment, to praise endurance and constitution. (if you don't get why, imagine pushing out babies and in the case of Ahketti, horned babies.) The castes The Ahketti live in three different social castes, these castes are not to be confused with the houses. The castes are the social ladder of their society, the caste decides which professions the Ahketti are allowed to practice, and which not. The Lower Caste The bulk of the Ahketti workforce, this caste consists of miners, weavers, farm workers, prostitutes, wood gatherers, water carriers and the like. The professions this caste is allowed to do consists of the providing, gathering or creation of raw materials, services or the crafting of basic materials only. They are allowed to practice the making of furniture, but not for example, weapons other then bows and arrows. Blacksmiths for example are not part of this caste, and it's not easy for a lower caste Ahketti to prove their ability in these other craftsmanships. Not everyone in the lower caste can read and write, since school is not mandatory for the lower caste. The Caste of Houses The caste of houses is the Ahketti "middle class", it consists of the warriors, traders, magicians, mathematicians, star readers, priests, blacksmiths and other superior craftsmen. Everyone in the Caste of houses has to have learned to read and write, school is mandatory for the children of the caste of houses. This caste is the most varied in social standards and welfare, which can differ quite a lot from one Ahketti to the next. Each member of the caste of houses is sworn to one of the ruling houses. Meaning their actions and decisions reflect on the houses as well as on themselves. The owning of slaves within the caste of houses is rare, but not unheard of, if the owner can provide the necessary upkeep to create decent living standards for the slave(s) in question. The Caste of Rulers The caste of Rulers is the smallest caste, but the richest and most powerful. This caste consists of the ruling families that govern their settlement or town, in Ptha'Ahket this is six families. The ruling castes all seat in the ruling council of their respective village or settlement. They are all schooled and have all been taught to both read and write and depending on which house we're talking about, most of the ruling caste does not participate in manual labour. The houses Each Ahketti settlement or town, has a few ruling families, these families are known as the houses. The Ahketti of the caste of houses are always sworn in service of one of these families, often the number of house sworn decides how much power a house has in the local council. But it also provides the necessary friction among the populace. The council tends to decide on the general local law, but each house tends to have it's own ideas and values about what society should look like. The four greater houses House Heth, the house of reeds The house of agriculture and land, this family controls most of the food and the lands the Ahketti work. They are masters at irrigation and botany. This house is a currently patriarchy under elder Abthoth Heth. House Zek, the house of spears House Zek is a house that value's martial arts, combat and hunting skills above all. They are masters at the creation of weapons and the wielding of them. Do not underestimate an unarmed Zeki though, they know how to defend themselves in a brawl too. This house is currently a matriarchy under elder Nefet Zek. House Phates, the house of hammers The Phati are known for their mastery of intricate craft. From weaving baskets to building puzzle-boxes. Whether you need masterly crafted furniture, or a new wheel for your cart, those of house Pathes know how to make it. They work close with the house of scrolls, but have a fierce rivalry with the house of spears, over who has the better weapon smiths. This house is currently a matriarchy under elder Medetiti Phates House Fayathi, house of scrolls The keepers of the library and the scrolls of the town council, the Fayathi value knowledge and magic above all. They play their political role mainly in the background, as advisors and the "neutral" party, nothing is less true. They actively seek to add any magically gifted Ahketti to their ranks. This house is currently a patriarchy under elder Neb Fayathi, the oldest of the elders. The lesser houses The lesser houses are what you would call the other "noble" families of the Ahketti culture, but their word is worth less in the council, then that of the greater houses, even if they are part of the caste of rulers. They have ether none or hardly any individuals sworn to them, in the caste of houses. As a means of gaining influence in the council, they tend to make alliances with each other or the greater houses. House Dret One of the more powerful of these lesser houses is house Dret, the house of chains, who have been trying to gain hold as a greater house. They are however not popular with the lower caste, due to their 'enthusiasm' for all out slavery. Nú-ùn Dret, is the matriarch of this family. Crime and the houses Crimes against general law tend to be judged and punished by the house of the victim of said crime, which often creates more friction if accusations cross houses. Breaching common law without bringing harm to any victims, but for oneself perhaps, is punished within the house of the perpetrator. Writing and language The Ahketti name their language as they name themselves: Ahketti. For them it's the only known language and thus their common language, spread in different dialects. Ptha'Ahket's local dialect is enforced under the house Fayathi as the "official" language. It's also under house Fayathi that the written word has been created, in symbols known as the Fayi, which they inspired on writings found in the ruins that dot the region.